NEW YORK – Providence senior runner Marcelo Rocha was named the BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the league announced on Wednesday. Rocha will receive a $4,000 scholarship, which may be applied to graduate or professional studies. The selection was made by the Conference’s Academic Affairs Committee and was announced by the Conference on Wednesday.
Rocha is the second overall scholar-athlete from Providence, joining former Friar baseball player Angelo Ciminiello in 1999. Rocha is the tenth member of a track & field squad to earn the prestigious honor.
The Conference also announced the male winners of the 2020-21 BIG EAST Institutional Scholar-Athlete Scholarships. Each institutional winner receives $2,000 toward graduate studies.
Rocha, a native of Peabody, Mass., was also the recipient of the BIG EAST Sport Excellence award in Cross Country as he boasts a 3.98 cumulative undergraduate GPA as an environmental biology major. Rocha will continue his education at Providence College pursuing an MBA.
As a senior in 2020-21, Rocha finished ninth (28:58.92) in the 10,000-meter run semifinals in the regional rounds of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships to automatically advance to the national finals in Eugene, Ore. With his finish he received All-America honorable mention. At the 2021 BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships Presented by JEEP, he placed fourth in the 5K.
Off the track, Rocha was a member of the Providence Dean’s List and Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. He was also one of the Friar student-athletes honored as a member of the 2021 BIG EAST All-Academic Team. Rocha was a member of Chi Alpha Sigma honor society and graduated Summa Cum Laude.
An active participant in the Providence College community, Rocha participated in the PC Thanksgiving drive and Adopt-A-Family.
Twenty-two student-athletes (one male and one female from each of the BIG EAST’s 11 member institutions will be named as BIG EAST Institutional Scholar-Athlete award winners. The BIG EAST Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year was also announced. This year, the award went to DePaul women’s tennis standout Aspasia Avgeri.
2020-21 BIG EAST Institutional Male Scholar-Athlete Awards
| School |
Name, Sport(s) |
| Butler |
Michael Cascino, Men’s Golf |
| UConn |
Omar Gebril, Indoor Track & Field |
| Creighton |
John Sakowski, Baseball |
| DePaul |
Fran Tonejc, Tennis |
| Georgetown |
Jake Carraway, Lacrosse |
| Marquette |
Joseph Keys, Outdoor Track & Field |
| Providence |
Marcelo Rocha, Outdoor Track & Field |
| St. John’s |
Matthew Forster, Soccer |
| Seton Hall |
Andreas Nota, Soccer |
| Villanova |
Jaydn Anczarski, Outdoor Track & Field |
| Xavier |
Alex Sironen, Swimming & Diving |
BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athletes Of The Year
| Year |
Name, School, Sport |
| 1985 |
Joey David, Pittsburgh, Basketball |
| 1986 |
John Prior, Connecticut, Track & Field |
| 1987 |
Harold Jensen, Villanova, Basketball |
| 1988 |
Dave Echeverria, Villanova, Swimming & Diving |
| 1989 |
Chris Craft, Villanova, Swimming & Diving |
| 1990 |
Pat O’Kelly, Seton Hall, Soccer |
| 1991 |
David Honor, St. John’s, Baseball |
| 1992 |
Steve Holman, Georgetown, Track & Field |
| 1993 |
Hector Zamora, Seton Hall, Soccer |
| 1994 |
Sebastien Goulet, Swimming, Syracuse |
| 1995 |
Kevin Lyles, Seton Hall, Track & Field |
| 1996 |
Gil Kovalski, Miami, Tennis |
| 1997 |
Christian Fogarazzo, St. John’s, Track & Field |
| 1998 |
Errol Williams, Notre Dame, Track & Field |
| 1999 |
Angelo Ciminiello, Providence, Baseball |
| 2000 |
Scott VanEpps, Pittsburgh, Swimming & Diving |
| 2001 |
Chris Hamblin, Boston College, Soccer |
| 2002 |
Gregory Strohmann, Seton Hall, Soccer |
| 2003 |
Casey Schmidt, Boston College, Soccer |
| 2004 |
Chris Wingert, St. John’s, Soccer |
| 2005 |
Guy Melamed, Boston College, Soccer |
| 2006 |
Trevor O’Grady, Rutgers, Track & Field |
| 2007 |
Drew Eckman, Villanova, Track & Field |
| 2008 |
Jeremy Stultz, Pittsburgh, Swimming & Diving |
| 2009 |
Zak Boggs, USF, Soccer |
| 2010 |
Francisco Aristeguieta, USF, Soccer |
| 2011 |
Brian Karalunas, Villanova, Lacrosse |
| 2012 |
Eric Finan, Cincinnati, Cross Country/Track & Field |
| 2013 |
Grant Van De Casteele, Notre Dame, Soccer |
| 2014 |
Charles Lyon, Marquette, Soccer |
| 2015 |
Sam McEntee, Villanova, Cross Country/Track & Field |
| 2016 |
Thomas Hackimer, St. John’s, Baseball |
| 2017 |
David Goldsmith, Butler, Soccer |
| 2018 |
Eric Dick, Butler, Soccer |
| 2019 |
Sven Koenig, Creighton, Soccer |
| 2021 |
Marcelo Rocha, Providence, Track & Field |
Note: In 2019-20, the BIG EAST did not present the Male or Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
*Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BIG EAST Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championships were not held this season. Additionally, Georgetown did not compete in certain Olympic sport seasons. It was important to the BIG EAST Academic Awards Committee to continue to acknowledge the academic accomplishments of these student-athletes.